The present disclosure relates generally to gas regulators, and more particularly, to a gas regulator with a bonnet for venting gas in the event of overpressurization of the gas regulator.
Gas regulators are used in a variety of different industries and applications, such as welding, recreational vehicles, residential and commercial buildings, and so forth. Gas regulators provide important functions in applications that require a flow of compressed air or specialty gases, such as nitrogen, oxygen, argon, helium, acetylene, and so forth, typically stored in high pressure vessels or tanks. In general, such gas regulators operate by reducing the pressure of the gas from the container to a desired level that may be adjusted manually and read on a gauge attached to the regulator. In common industrial applications, the gas flows from storage cylinders to provide gas at acceptable levels for use in welding and cutting operations. Such gas regulators traditionally include a variety of internal components (e.g., springs, plates, and washers), which cooperatively function to handle both normal operating demands and extreme circumstances.
A bonnet is traditionally used to contain the internal components inside the gas regulator. Such bonnets are typically made from a metal, such as brass or zinc, since the bonnets must be designed to withstand high pressures (e.g., 3000 PSI) during extreme instances of overpressurization (e.g., in case of failure of the regulating components). Metal bonnets are capable of withstanding such high pressures while containing potentially broken internal components that may be produced during a failure event. However, high monetary costs due to acquisition and preparation of the metal material are often associated with the use of such metal bonnets. Accordingly, there exists a need for improved bonnets for gas regulators that withstand high pressures while reducing monetary costs.